


A Simple Solution

by TheKinkAwakens (thekinkawakens)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Biting, Caning, Dom/sub, Handcuffs, M/M, Please read the end notes for more warnings, Reference to past dubcon/noncon, collaring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 00:13:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14629980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekinkawakens/pseuds/TheKinkAwakens
Summary: Poe didn’t know what to make of Kylo Ren, or Ben as he was being called now. In theory, he understood why the man was being forgiven for what he’d done. It wasn’t like Ben Solo was the first sub to have been manipulated and controlled.---A BDSM AU that diverges from canon near the end of The Force Awakens. Please see end tags for specific warnings





	A Simple Solution

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this story before the title of The Last Jedi had even been released. It's been sitting in my drive as my longest WIP for forever. I cannot believe I actually sat down and finished it. I also cannot believe that it's somehow over 10k. Though it's very On Brand for me that my longest fic thus far is a BDSM AU.
> 
> If you're not overly familiar with BDSM AU as a trope, it basically means that everyone in this fic has a dynamic/orientation of dominant, submissive, or switch, and that BDSM practices have influenced society and the way relationships are formed/people interact. 
> 
> Please go to the end notes to get more warnings for this fic

Poe didn’t know what to make of Kylo Ren, or Ben as he was being called now. In theory, he understood why the man was being forgiven for what he’d done. It wasn’t like Ben Solo was the first sub to have been manipulated and controlled. But when Han came back with the man he’d been skeptical, tear stained face aside. 

“When my mind first touched his, all I could feel was Snoke’s will. I had to dig to find what was left of Ben. I know you still don’t trust him Poe, but I need you to know he can’t hurt you anymore,” Rey had said, her eyes earnest as she put her hand over his. 

Rey was the definition of an optimist. Of course, all she’d been able to see was the little bit of good in him. She’d been the one to help Han bring him back. She’d shielded Kylo’s mind from from Snoke long enough for Han to convince his son to put down his helmet and lightsaber.

And she had kept Snoke out of his mind the entire time it took to find Luke. Luke had been able to create a barrier in Kylo’s mind that protected him from Snoke, but also limited his connection to the force. Rey saw the shield as further proof that Kylo, Ben, had come back to the light. She said he would never have limited his own ability to connect to the force if he hadn’t. 

Poe didn’t have her confidence. Even if the man had been temporarily turned to the light, he still had the ability to turn right back. Poe couldn’t look inside of the man’s mind to understand him. All he had was what he’d seen with his own eyes. He wasn’t typically one to hold a grudge, but it was difficult to be in the same room as a man who had let an entire solar system be destroyed. A man who had tied him down and torn his mind apart for hours.

No one blamed Poe for remaining weary. Being tortured by someone gave you some leeway. 

Finn was the only one who came close to understanding what he was going through. 

“I don’t like having him on the base either. There’s not much to do about it though. Breaking his bond to Snoke wrecked his ability to use the force, and Luke has promised he’s safe for now. The General always has someone keeping an eye on him. There’s not much we can do other than ignore him,” Finn had said the one time Poe brought the subject up. 

If it was difficult for Poe, he couldn’t imagine how Finn dealt with it. But the other man never brought the subject up himself, so Poe tried to drop it and take Finn’s advice. 

When a hush fell over the cafeteria Poe kept his eyes on his pad. He wouldn’t give Kylo the satisfaction of being caught looking. Poe had noticed his gaze on him across the dining hall a few times, dark eyes intense as they stared at him. He’d refused to stare back. 

After almost a month of having the man on the base, Poe could almost time Kylo’s tantrums down to the minute. He sighed when Kylo Ren began to scream at Han. He could feel other people tensing, turning to watch the spectacle. He’d been concerned the first time it had happened, had reached for his phaser, but Kylo Ren’s tantrums had become common place now. That didn’t stop people from gossiping as soon as the man fled the room.

He heard “Ben” from the two whispering pilots next to him.

“He’s been having withdrawals. He was kept under for so long and for so often, now that he’s gone almost a month without having a sub-drop his body is struggling to cope with the stress,” Merrick said. He was dating a medic and always seemed to know more about people’s health than he should. Poe was going to have to have a talk with the chief medical officer.

“Then why hasn’t he been assigned a relief dom? It’s not like there aren’t people on the base who would be willing,” said VIZ-aan with an unpleasant grin. He was a new pilot, a large blue man who Poe was still trying to get a read on. They couldn’t be picky during wartime, but he made a mental note to have Snap keep an eye on him.

Merrick didn’t seem put off by the comment. “I’ve heard that he refuses. He says he doesn’t deserve someone to help him. He just keeps asking to be punished for his crimes instead. The General refuses to have him do corporal though, the doctors say it might fracture him further,” Merrick said, his voice lifting in excitement at the very thought of a corporal punishment. 

“Officers,” Poe said, putting force behind his voice. “I trust you’re not speculating over confidential information.” Both quickly gave a denial. Poe stared at them unimpressed until they took the cue and got up quickly to leave. Poe forced himself to finish his own meal, a lost appetite wasn’t a good enough reason to waste rations. 

The conversation he’d heard was still playing in his head when he stumbled over Kylo, Ben, sitting on the ground outside the hangar, head in his hands.

Poe took in the long lanky body, dressed in a simple grey tunic. He wondered what he’d have done if he’d never met Ben Solo when he was Kylo Ren. Perhaps he’d be feeling pity rather than fear. Regardless, he decided he was done being as petty as the men he’d just reprimanded. He didn’t have to like the other man to be courteous. 

“Ben,” he said with a nod. An acknowledgment. It was at least a step in the right direction. He was ready to walk past him when the other man jerked his head up and glared. 

“My name is Kylo,” he said with a snarl that came out sounding more wounded than threatening. Poe just stared at him. 

“I thought you’d gone back to being Ben, that you’d left Kylo Ren behind,” Poe said. He tried to keep the accusation, the aggression, out of his voice. He wasn’t sure he’d succeeded. 

“Ben is still dead. I’m not him. You of all people should know that I’m not some innocent son of a Resistance General,” he said.

“I suppose,” Poe said. He realized his heart was racing, ready for a fight and he forced himself to take in a deep breath. This was supposed to be a step towards getting over his anger at Kylo, not an opportunity to fight him. Kylo was definitely aiming for the latter though. 

“Does it upset you that everyone is pretending like I’ve done nothing wrong? Surely with your rank you should be able to push for my punishment. You know what I’ve done first hand. You could be the witness to how I ordered that entire village in Jakku to be destroyed, how I tortured you and entered your mind. Are you truly okay with me getting away with everything just because of my orientation?” Kylo’s voice was low, his eyes attempting to meet Poe’s. He could feel the light push of the force behind the words. 

Poe shook his head and pushed back the anger that Kylo was no doubt trying to get him to feel. He focused on what Kylo was implying instead.“So you want to be punished for what you’ve done?”

Kylo sneered in response. “If my mother wasn’t in charge of this base I would be. She’s intervening to stop them from doing what’s right because she wishes to protect me. Anyone else would have already faced justice.”

“I don’t know about that. The last time I checked there were a lot of laws in place against punishing unclaimed subs if they’d been through trauma,” Poe said, leaning against the wall.

Kylo shook his head. “No. Those are for abused subs, ones who have been forced to do things like steal or lie to authorities. I’ve killed people. I’ve let people die. I’ve done things that would get any dom imprisoned for life. There is no excuse,” Kylo’s voice broke at the end and he slammed his head back against the wall again. Poe winced at the sound of the impact.

With his head against the wall Kylo’s pale neck was exposed. Poe took in the soft black unadorned collar around Kylos’ neck. It was a family collar. Something a submissive teenager would wear to warn off strange doms from trying anything. It made Kylo look painfully young.

“If you really want to be punished, then I can do it,” Poe said with a casualness he didn’t feel. His stomach felt heavy at his offer, but a plan was already beginning to form in his head.

Kylo straightened and looked at him. “You want to punish me?”

“I offered, didn’t I?” Poe said, avoiding the actual question. “Do you accept or not?”

Kylo was looking up at him with an expression that was far too open. “I accept.”

“Right, I’ll send you a contract. Fill it out and send it back tonight. I’ll meet you in my room at 2100 tomorrow,” Poe said.

“I don’t need a contract,” Kylo attempted to argue. Poe put a hand up cutting him off.

“That was an order Kylo, not a request. If you want to do this send me the contract by the end of the night or I’ll make other plans for tomorrow.” Poe didn’t wait for a response, he turned and continued walking. 

For all of his false bravo, Poe immediately went to Finn to talk about his plan. His gut was telling him he was doing the right thing, but he trusted the other man to be his voice of reason. 

“It’s the only way to give him what he needs without him realizing it. He thinks I’m doing this for myself, to get revenge for what he did to me. Hopefully a session or two will calm him down enough that he lashes out less,” Poe explained for the fourth time. He’d been rephrasing the explanation and his plans nonstop since he’d sat down on Finn’s bed.

The other man was just staring at him. “I’m not saying that you’re wrong. It just seems like a lot for you to be taking on. Are you sure you really want to do this?”

“Yes. It’s the right thing to do,” Poe said. 

Finn gave him a long look. “You have to be the one to believe that Poe, not me.”

* * *

The following day was somehow the shortest and longest day of Poe’s life. His mind was so far gone that BB-8 had had to bump into him multiple times to get his attention. He kept checking the time. The droid gave an exasperate beep at 1900 and told him to leave or he’d get zapped. Poe wanted to argue, but he’d forgotten to cap a tank and BB-8 had been doused in a bright blue oil that was going to take the droid hours to scrub off. BB-8’s upset beep had been deafening. 

He made his tactical retreat and decided to skip getting anything to eat.

He showered and then spent an hour pacing his room. He had the urge to tidy up, but his space was already immaculate. Years in the academy had trained him out of any disorderliness. 

Poe hadn’t been as nervous to begin a scene since he was still in the academy and was waiting on a beautiful Twi'lek switch to arrive at his dorm room. He tried to tell himself there was no reason to be nervous now. Kylo was just looking for a release, a quick take down. Poe could be that outlet, and then hopefully the other man would stop destroying tables every other day. 

The sensor on his door pinged when Kylo arrived twenty minutes early. Poe turned on the door’s view screen and watched as Kylo stood awkwardly at Poe’s entrance, not making any move to hit the communication device. 

Poe debated inviting him in. Surely Kylo knew that Poe would know when he arrived. Either he didn’t care, or he hadn’t been able to wait. If Merrick’s ill-gotten intel had been right it was probably the latter. He knew most dom’s would make a sub wait until the appointed time, but looking at the dark circles under Kylo’s eyes, Poe decided to take pity on both of them and opened the door. 

“Come on in Kylo,” he said. Kylo didn’t say anything as he pushed pass him. He followed Kylo into the living area of his suite.

Poe could practically feel the tension radiating off of him. He shuffled through conversation starters in his head before giving up. This wasn’t a situation that called for small talk.

“Right, shirt off,” Poe said, keeping his voice firm and emotionless. 

He’d gone through Kylo’s sheet of limits. He hadn’t been impressed with the fact that Kylo had put that he had no limits or preferences. He wasn’t going to argue with the man though, he’d just have to keep a close eye on him during their session.

Usually he’d begin impact play with his hands, but he felt like a warm up would just set Kylo further on edge. Instead he pulled out a cane made from Siks wood. It wasn’t one of his harshest tools, but it’s unique properties made up for its moderate sting. The welts it caused would burn due to the plant’s natural toxins, growing in intensity until the antidote was applied.

Kylo’s expression remained blank. Poe wasn’t sure if he recognized the material. He was willing to let Kylo find out through experience if he hadn’t. He motioned Kylo over to a wall and flipped a switch to expose simple cuffs. They were the standard type of equipment most rooms came with, but he figured they’d do for a first scene. 

Kylo was compliant as he cuffed him and raised the lead so his arms were above his head. Poe was sure that even with his reduced use of the force, Kylo would be able to break the cuffs if he wanted to. The man was more muscular than his loose-fitting tunic had suggested. He might not be a Knight of Ren anymore, but it was clear he was keeping in shape. 

Poe had always had a thing for strong and powerful submissives. As long as Kylo behaved, the strength of the cuffs wouldn’t matter.

“Count,” he commanded. He let the first blow land on Kylo’s broad shoulders.

Kylo did as he was told. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground as he counted and breathed deeply between each hit. It took a few minutes for the Siks wood to take effect. 

By the tenth blow it was clear that Kylo was feeling the full effect. Each stripe was swollen a deep red. Kylo was still counting steadily, though he had visibly began to sweat. The sub clearly knew how to take a lot of pain, but from the tension in his body he didn’t know how to process it. 

Poe ran his fingers across the welt and leaned into Kylo to whisper in his ear. “Where are you at?”

Kylo shuddered. His body melted into Poe’s before he seemed to remember himself and jerked back into position. “Sir?” he asked. He sounded genuinely confused. Poe wondered if anyone had asked him the question before.

“How are you doing?” Poe clarified.

“I can handle more,” Kylo said. It wasn’t what he’d been asking, but Poe decided to leave the question alone. 

It was clear that Kylo had a much higher pain tolerance than anyone he had been with. He'd have to try a different method.

“Tell me why you’re being punished,” Poe said as he raised the cane again. “And keep counting.”

“I tortured you. Eleven. I tortured dozens of people. Twelve. I killed off entire villages and helped to kill my former classmates, Thirteen,” his voice cracked on the last number, unable to focus on blocking out the pain, counting, and answering the questions at the same time.

“And?” Poe prompted.

Kylo just stared at him lost.

“And why did you do that?” Poe asked firmly.

“Because I am weak and worthless,” he said. 

“I didn’t ask for what you are, I asked why you chose to do that,” Poe said.

“I,” Kylo hesitated, “I don’t know. Fourteen. Because I wanted to. Fifteen.”

“Tell me why you wanted to kill Luke’s other students,” Poe said. Kylo shook his head. Poe reached his hand up and slapped his face, “I’ve asked you a question Kylo. I expect an answer.”

“Sixteen. They were weak,” Kylo said.

“No, they weren’t. They were among the most powerful in the galaxy. And by all accounts they were your friends. You grew up with several of them. What changed? What made you turn on them,” he asked as he landed the seventeenth and eighteenth blow. Kylo’s back was now painfully red and wet with sweat.

Kylo shook his head again and Poe drew back. “If you’re not going to obey me then this scene is over,” Poe said. 

Kylo made a wounded noise and spoke quickly.“Snoke. I heard his voice in my head, in my dreams. I didn’t understand. He would hurt me and I would black out. Sometimes it was for days. He was teaching me my place, showing me that I could be more than a weak submissive Jedi, that I could be powerful.”

Poe rewarded him by making the last two blows quick. He ran his hands over the swollen crisscrosses on Kylo’s back before pressing against them, moving his hands up and down his back. It was when his hands made it to Kylo’s waist in a simile of a hug that the other man finally broke. 

Kylo sagged against the bonds that were keeping him up, his long shaggy hair stuck to his tear streaked face as his chest heaved with quiet sobs. Poe stood back and watched silently, trying to judge how much more the man needed.

“Kneel,” he commanded as he released the bonds. Kylo’s descent was more of a fall than a kneel, but he put his hands on his knees and sat properly once he was down. 

Poe leaned against the wall next to him, taking in the sight. He watched Kylo fail to hide his glance at Poe’s crotch. Poe shook his head and pulled him by his hair until he was against his leg instead. Tonight wasn’t about sex.

“Be good for me for another hour and I’ll consider rubbing the ointment on your skin” he said softly. Kylo nodded his head and pressed his face against Poe’s leg, eyes a hundred miles away. Poe kept his fingers tangled in his hair, bringing his other hand down to rest gently against Kylo’s neck.

Kylo behaved perfectly for the entire hour. He didn’t say anything when Poe went and retrieved the ointment, but he melted into Poe’s hands when he rubbed it into his back, massaging it until all of the swelling completely disappeared. 

As soon as Poe removed his hands and told Kylo to stand up the other man snapped out of the tranquil state. He politely thanked Poe, the words sounding far away and rehearsed as he quickly put on his clothes and left, the picture perfect submissive. 

Poe watched the door shut behind Kylo. He shook his head as he began to set everything back into place. He didn’t know what to make of Kylo, but he had a feeling that this was going to be more complicated than he’d planned.

* * *

Other than Finn Poe hadn’t told anyone about his arrangement with Kylo. That didn’t stop the entire base from knowing. The General gave him a small thankful smile the next day as they sat down for the debriefing and Chewie had found him at lunch and grunted what sounded like a threat at him. 

Kylo avoided even looking at him when he came into eat that night. He managed to go the whole meal without screaming or breaking anything though, so Poe was willing to chalk it up to a victory.

He wasn’t too surprised when he found Kylo lurking outside of his office several days later. 

“Do you need something,” he asked. 

Kylo shook his head, but continued to stare at him expectantly. Poe held back his sigh. As though Kylo had just happen to wander by Poe’s office at the end of the hangar, a place most of his pilots didn’t even visit. 

He was tempted to make Kylo ask for what he wanted, but this wasn’t a scene and he wasn’t generally a cruel person. “Would you like to come by my room again?”

Kylo nodded.

* * *

Kylo quickly became part of his routine. Once a week Poe would find him standing outside of his door. He’d beat him, make him talk, and then send him home. 

In many ways it was a straightforward relationship. It was almost simple except for the fact that it was Kylo. 

There were things about Kylo that Poe could admit he appreciated. He was brave. He stood proudly in rooms filled with people who hated him and distrusted him. He was passionate. Even without full access to the force he was powerful. 

Kylo was also undeniably difficult. Sometimes he responded positively to intense pain, other times it’d make him withdraw. Degrading him would leave him a sobbing mess, but Poe learned early on only to use the words he used for himself. Vague words about being weak or pathetic. If he said something Kylo didn’t agree with he’d get angry. And the one time he’d called him a bad son and a shame to his family he’d been despondent for hours. He was a landmine.

The one thing that he always responded positively to was simple touch. The further down he was the more he’d melt into Poe’s hands. Even when he was fully cognizant he still relaxed as soon as Poe’s hands found the nape of his or rested on his waist. Two months into their arrangement Poe decided to bring up the bantha in the room. 

“How do you feel about introducing sex into what we’re doing?” Poe asked. He’d had many relationships that didn’t include sex at all, but Kylo clearly craved touch and intimacy, and sex seemed like a good way to give it to him. He saw Kylo visibly swallow at the question. 

“I can take whatever you wish,” Kylo said.

“I’m not asking if you can take it, I’m asking if you want it,” Poe said. He knew it wasn’t fair but he let his hand fall and land on Kylo’s knee. Kylo glanced at it and swallowed.

“I want it,” Kylo said. And it was clear he did. He’d been getting hard more often than not in their sessions and leaning into Poe when he was in subspace. But there was still hesitation in his voice.

“What has been your experience with sex?” Poe asked bluntly. He had an idea about how the First Order treated subs from Finn, but he needed to hear Kylo speak for himself. 

“I have a lot of experience. I was given to people when I was bad. I would make it up to them by pleasing them. I’m,” Kylo hesitated, face red in a mix of anger and embarrassment, “I’m not very good though. I’ve been told I’m sloppy.”

Poe kept his response off of his face. He felt a cold fury grip him, and he knew Kylo was probably tuning into his emotions with the force. Poe breathed. He could process through how mad that made him later. Right now it was about Kylo.

He nodded and rubbed Kylo’s knee. “If you continue to behave I’ll consider introducing it.”  
-

* * *

Contrary to everyone’s jokes, BB-8 didn’t sleep in Poe’s quarters. He slept in the droid charging pods like every other droid. He did spend most of his free time with Poe, but he was perfectly fine finding his own entertainment when Poe was busy. So Poe knew it was intentional when he came home and found BB-8 and Kylo having a stand off in front of his door. 

BB-8 was the first to see him and nearly rolled over Kylo’s feet to get to him. Poe was sure if Kylo had been a fraction slower he’d have been walking away with at least one fractured toe.

“What’s up BB-8?” Poe asked. 

_“System maintenance required,_ ” BB-8 beeped. 

Poe ignored the way that Kylo was glaring at BB-8. “I can’t tonight buddy, I already made plans. I’ll do a complete diagnostic with upgrades tomorrow after work though,” he promised. 

BB-8 gave an overly disapointed beep, but Poe didn’t let himself be manipulated. “Tomorrow night,” he repeated. 

BB-8 beeped an agreement and bumped againt his leg until he reached down and rubbed BB-8’s sensor pads. BB-8’s dome swirled around and Poe was certain that he was giving Kylo a smug look. Kylo was still glaring when BB-8 whirled down the hallway. 

“You’re fond of that droid,” Kylo said. It wasn’t a question.

“Of course, BB-8 is my best friend. I wouldn’t be here without him. He’s saved my life more times than I can count.”

Kylo didn’t respond so Poe opened up his door and followed the other man in.

* * *

Poe had been busy all day, but he remembered his promise to BB-8. When he went looking for BB-8 though, the small droid was nowhere to be found. 

He had to use the base’s tracking map to find him. He was surprised to find that he was already down in his favorite workshop. He beeped happily when Poe entered. 

“Eager, huh?” Poe pulled up BB-8’s diagnostics and frowned. One of his panels had been modified. “What’s this,” Poe asked. 

_“New attachment acquired,”_ BB-8 preened, opening the panel for Poe to see. With a click Poe activated it, whistling as it came out. It was an updated taser, clearly custom made. BB-8 had been asking for a new one for years, but Poe had avoided the upgrade. He already got in enough trouble whenever BB-8 shocked someone who crossed Poe. 

“How did you get this?” Poe asked. The puzzle pieces were falling together, but Poe wasn’t sure if the answer his brain was providing actually made sense.

_“Gift-bribe from Poe-mate,_ ” BB-8 beeped in confirmation. _“If Poe-mate hurts Poe, BB-8 will utilize.”_

* * *

Kylo was already sitting at the dinner table when Poe arrived.

“You gave my droid a new weapon,” Poe said.

“He made his conditions clear,” Kylo replied. Poe didn’t know how to respond. 

Poe shared a disbelieving look with Finn who was once again just shaking his head.

* * *

In a way, Poe had been doomed from the start. He knew the type of dom he was. He liked to take care of his submissive. He wanted to help them. He wanted them to need him. When he was honest with himself he knew that he wanted to control them, though he tried to tamper the urge down and keep it in the bedroom where it belonged. 

The thing was Kylo needed to be controlled. 

And since he’d began visiting Poe’s room he’d been doing better. His name stopped being on everyone’s lips. He made it through most meals without throwing a tantrum. He had taken to helping Chewie do ship repairs. He’d even agreed to teach some of the more advance self-defense lessons at Leia’s request. 

As they neared the third month of their arrangement Poe decided that all in all they were doing well. He’d pushed their last few sessions back because of an increase in missions, but Kylo hadn’t argued or seemed upset. Instead he’d leaned into Poe’s hands during quick check-ins and goodbyes. Therefor Poe was almost surprised when he came into the dining hall and found a flipped table with Kylo next to it, screaming at several concerned looking workers. Almost.

“What’s going on here?’ he demanded. He was going for his commander voice, but he saw Kylo swallow at the question.

Still, Kylo turned and glared at him. “Nothing that concerns you.”

Poe stared at him unimpressed and then glanced at the workers who seemed moments away from wetting themselves. 

“Alright, how about we go somewhere private to talk through this nothing?” Poe asked. He intentionally kept the command out of his voice, but Kylo still followed. The silent walk back to Poe’s quarters were tense, he could practically feel Kylo’s fury. 

Kylo remained silent when they entered the space. Poe was torn between relief and the need to just get the confrontation over with. 

“Kylo, is there something you’d like to talk about,” Poe asked. 

Kylo started pacing, no doubt working himself up more. Poe sat down and waited for the eruption to occur. 

When it did, it wasn’t what he was expecting. “You’re the only one who calls me that anymore. Kylo. Why?”

“Because that’s who you are. It’s what you call yourself. Me calling you Ben Solo won’t erase what you did. And I think you’re capable of choosing who you want to be, and what you want to be called,” Poe said. 

“Don’t act like you respect me,” Kylo spat. “You’re just like my mother. All either of you see is a pathetic submissive who just needs to have their needs met to behave. You’re trying to control me. You both think you can treat me like a child.”

The glass next to Poe shook slightly. “No Kylo, I know exactly how dangerous you are. And I know you’re not a child. You’re an adult who is fully capable of learning how to control his anger. You just chose not to,” Poe said.

Kylo lashed out, pushing the entire end table over. “I am in complete control,” he spat. 

“Fine. Then kneel if you want or leave and go calm down on your own,” Poe said. Kylo cursed and turned towards the door, then turned back. He glared at Poe before walking over and lowering himself.

Poe grabbed the back of his head and pulled his hair until he was laying with his face in Poe’s lap. He ran his fingers through the dark greasy locks wondering when the last time Kylo had properly bathed. There was some food from his temper tantrum tangled at the tips.

“You need a bath,” he said. Kylo made a small offended noise, but he didn’t argue when Poe pulled him over to the bathroom. He motioned for him to strip.

One of the benefits of their current base was that there were no water rations. Poe made sure the water was extra hot as Kylo stood awkwardly near the tub. When it was finally full enough for a man of Kylo’s size Poe motioned him to get in. The scars that covered Kylo’s body looked out of place as he climbed into the tub, contrasting with the domestic moment. He’d seen Kylo naked before, but this felt different. 

Poe took off his own shirt, pretending not to notice the way Kylo’s eyes were glued to his chest. The most he’d undressed for a scene was rolling up his sleeves. He tried not to feel self-conscious as he moved behind Kylo. He wasn’t as muscular as the other man, but he’d always been fit. And he’d always found the idea that doms should be bigger than their subs outdated.

Poe got to work, maneuvering Kylo’s head low enough that he could pour the water over his head. He shampooed his hair, massaging his head as he did. Kylo’s eyes fluttered. The man really was an overgrown cat. He let one hand slip and slide down Kylo’s collarbone, stroking him. 

When his hair was adequately clean Poe moved onto soaping up his shoulders. The man sitting in front of him was almost unrecognizable from the one who’d been flipping tables. It was wonders what attention and affection did for him. Despite what he seemed intent on believing, Poe really did think he was doing his best to be good for him. He just didn’t have the ability to control himself yet. 

He’d also noticed the way the other man had been staring at him expectantly during the end of each scene, clearly remembering Poe’s promise to move their interactions forward if he behaved.

Staring at Kylo’s wet abs and half-hard cock Poe couldn’t deny that he wanted the other man. The issue had been finding the right time. He enjoyed mixing sex and pain together as much as any dom, but he wanted to remove himself as far as possible from the doms who’d taken Kylo against his will. 

“You’ve been doing so good for me, tell me why you misbehaved today Kylo,” he said.

Kylo shifted and some of the water splashed out of the tub. He’d ordered him into the bath, but they weren’t in a scene. Kylo rarely spoke outside of them and he seemed off-footed. Poe pushed against a knot in his shoulder and Kylo bit his lip.

‘I was frustrated. The workers either act like I’m a monster or a child to handle with care. They don’t know when to leave me alone,” he said. 

“I also think you wanted attention, didn’t you?” 

Kylo looked like he wanted to deny it, but instead he looked down at his knees which were raised above the water. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I know you have better things to do than spend time with me, but it still makes me angry.”

“Next time you need more attention, just tell me. But thank you for being honest, I think you deserve a reward,” he said, letting his hand travel down Kylo’s chest. He wrapped his fingers around Kylo’s cock and Kylo made a startled noise. 

Poe paused, waiting to see Kylo’s reaction. “Do you want this?”

“Yes,” Kylo said, quieter than Poe had heard him speak.

He stroked him with a firm hand. It wasn’t anything exceptional, but it was clear Kylo wasn’t going to need much this first time. Poe stroked him until his breathing got heavy and his stomach was visibly clenched before pulling his hand away. 

“Get up, dry off, and go lay on my bed,” he said. 

Kylo’s brows were furrowed, a pout on his lips, but he got up quickly to comply. Poe would have to go back and wipe up all of the displaced water later. 

By the time Poe made it into the room with the oil, Kylo was already laying on his bed. His attempt at drying still had the sheets underneath him clearly wet with water, but Poe found his eagerness more endearing than anything. 

Poe climbed onto the bed and sat between Kylo’s spread knees. Spread out before him, the former knight looked more uncertain than Poe had seen him. He seemed more uncomfortable than scared, but Poe knew how to calm him down

Poe ran both of his hands down Kylo’s knees.

“I’m going to touch you now Kylo, like I did in the bath. If you manage not to cum until I tell you to I’ll give you a treat,” Poe said. 

Kylo’s breath hitched as his hands traveled up to his thighs. When he realized that Poe was waiting on a response he hastily nodded.

Poe knew he was treading a fine line between being careful of Kylo’s potential triggers and offending Kylo by being too cautious. He circled his hand around his length and began the steady pull he’d used in the bathtub. Thankfully Kylo was easy to please. Within minutes he had thrown his head back and was groaning. The groans picked up when Poe used his other hand to cup his balls. 

His dream of edging Kylo for hours clearly was going to have to be a long term goal. He didn’t want to set the sub up for failure when he seemed ready to cum within the first few minutes. He was being good though, biting his lip and trying to stay in control. 

Poe took his hand away from his balls and moved them back down his thighs and then back up again. Kylo’s whole body tensed when his fingers brushed against his hole. Poe moved them away and cupped his ass instead. 

“Alright, you can cum,” he said, pulling his hand back to land a solid spank. Kylo gasped loudly as he came. 

He was beautiful, breathing heavy, his sweat and the wetness from the bath indistinguishable. His cum was drying on his stomach, and Poe thought about going to get a towel from the bathroom but Kylo’s eyes were open again and staring at him expectantly. 

“Very good,” Poe praised him. Kylo squirmed uncomfortably, but Poe could see the pleasure in his eyes. “What do you want for a treat?”

Kylo’s eyes immediately found Poe’s hard cock. Poe waited for him to actually voice his request though. “Can I put it in my mouth?”

Poe had to take his own deep breath before nodding. He pulled off his pants and briefs. Kylo’s eyes soaked him in. He stepped up to the bed and Kylo immediately sat up and put his mouth on him. 

He could see where the word ‘sloppy’ had come from, though Poe would never say that to Kylo. He was enthusiastic. Kylo didn’t seem to care that he was wetly choking himself on his cock. Poe tangled his fingers in his hair to help him set a slower pace. Kylo might not have the finesse that most subs employed, but he made up for it by using his tongue in ways that Poe had never experienced before.

He could have stopped him, given him more direction. But as he came down his throat, Poe decided he wouldn’t change Kylo for the world.

* * *

With the addition of sex to their relationship, Kylo’s visits to Poe’s rooms went from a few times a week to most evenings. Kylo had even began eating dinner at Poe’s table so he could follow him back to his room. 

“I thought getting regularly laid was supposed to make you more pleasant,” Finn said after Kylo pushed his tray out of the way so he could sit next to Poe. Finn had moved from being distantly polite to Kylo to casually being rude to the other man who he declared ‘a total dick.’

Poe saw it as a huge sign of improvement. He didn’t know what he’d have done if Finn had remained scared of the submissive. 

For his part, Kylo clearly didn’t know how to react. He just glared at Finn until Poe shoved a piece of fruit in front of his face. Poe had never been one for PDA before, but he couldn’t help but feel pleased when Kylo took the piece of fruit from his fingers and bit into it.

Finn wasn’t the only one who had moved from fear of Kylo to occasional annoyance. Most of his pilots had gotten use to Kylo lurking near the hangar, waiting for Poe to get off-shift or back from a mission. He’d walked in on Jessika telling Kylo off for kicking her droid who’d bumped into him. 

For the most part Kylo was behaved enough to be able to take well-earned criticism, and when he did react negatively it was more along the lines of kicking a wall rather than destroying a room or attempting to choke someone. It was a solid improvement.

Finn might have been joking, but the sex had made Kylo more compliant. Or at the very least, less destructive and angry.

Despite Kylo’s concerns about being ‘sloppy’ and ‘unsatisfying’ Poe found he had no complaints. Poe loved Kylo’s enthusiasm to please him. He’d never met a sub who was more excited to be given the reward of sucking him off. He was still hesitant about being pleasured himself, but he melted into Poe’s touches each time like it was the first time. 

Poe began introducing more acts into their bedroom after scenes. He learned that Kylo enjoyed getting his ass eaten out, but he froze anytime Poe put anything other than his tongue inside of him. It didn’t bother Poe. Everything else he did with Kylo was more than enough. 

Kylo, on the other hand, was determined to make him penetrate him. 

As soon as he’d noticed Poe was avoiding the act he’d began asking for it every opportunity he could. Poe wasn’t sure if it was a matter of pride or masochism. But he went out of his way to do good with Poe’s commands in the bedroom, each time asking for Poe to fuck him as his reward.

After three weeks, Poe decided to give him what he wanted. Kylo seemed genuinely pleased when he pushed a finger inside of him. The second one easily followed. It was clear that Kylo could take it, Poe just wasn’t convinced that this was what he really wanted. But Kylo had gotten him about treating him like a child enough times that forced himself to pushed his doubts aside and continued to fuck him with his fingers.

After the fourth finger, Kylo began to move his ass intentionally, wiggling back and forth. Poe took the hint and lined up, slowly pushing in. 

“More, please,” Kylo pleaded. Poe frowned. It wasn’t in the needy breathless way he begged Poe to let him suck his cock. It was in the same voice he said he was worthless in. 

He gripped Kylo’s hair and turned his head so he could see his face. He looked like he was holding back tears. Holding back a curse, Poe pulled out, kissing Kylo’s neck as he did. He ignored the questioning noise Kylo made and kissed his way back down his back to his ass. 

Kylo tried to turn around. “Don’t stop, fuck me. Take what you want already, I can handle it,” he said, voice still wet from the tears. 

Poe slapped Kylo’s ass, annoyed more at himself than Kylo. “I am taking what I want, so stop asking for something neither of us will enjoy,” he said.

He heard Kylo huff again, so he bent down and sucked a dark mark onto Kylo’s thighs. Droplets of blood mixed with his saliva when he pulled away. Kylo had gone silent except for heavy breathing. Being marked and made to bleed were actually what he enjoyed. They were what he should be begging for. But of course, Kylo was more focused on what he was being denied, than what he actually wanted. Before Kylo had a chance to catch his breath Poe turned to give his other thigh a matching mark. 

Staring at Kylo’s thick thighs, Poe found a way to compromise. “Push your legs together,” he said. Kylo compiled and Poe grabbed him by his hips and pulled him back up, kneeling behind him. He reached down to grab some more the lube, and forced his fingers between Kylo’s thighs. Once they were slick he lined up his cock and pushed between his thighs, fucking into the tight space.

Kylo gave a confused moan, before arching his back and meeting Poe’s thrust. At this angle Poe’s cock was brushing against Kylo’s balls with every thrust. Kylo turned his head and looked at him with needy eyes. He took mercy on him and pushed down until Kylo was flush against the mattress and able to shamelessly hump the bed. Poe dug his fingers hard enough into his hips that he knew he’d have hand-shape bruises the next day to match the bite marks on his thighs. 

Poe desperately wanted to bite into his neck as well, but that was a public claim, and neither of them had talked about it. Instead he settled on biting into his shoulder, low enough that it wouldn’t peak through his clothing. Kylo moaned and came without permission, but Poe didn’t mind. When he followed him shortly after all he could think was that he would do anything to please the other man.

* * *

Poe finally realized that he loved Kylo at about the same moment that he realized he was going to die. 

To be fair, getting to the broken down Tie-Fighter in the middle of the asteroid belt would have been a tough even without the undetected magnetic field. The old R2 unit he had gone out with hadn’t been able to spot the magnetic field until it had activated, sending a charge through the astromech that disabled both it and Poe’s ship. 

BB-8 was never going to forgive him. His droid always told Poe not to fly without him, but the run was supposed to be routine and BB-8 had been assisting Jessika’s droid with fixing her X-Wing which had been badly damaged. 

His support systems had a few hours without the ships energy. By the time he was reported missing he’d be dead. Even if they figured out what happened in time, there wasn’t a flier on the base who could make it to him. Not with Rey off on a mission with Luke, and the asteroids too close together for the Falcon to fly between. 

BB-8 was going to blow a circuit. It was a shame Poe wouldn’t be there to calm him down. 

He didn’t want to think about what would happen to Kylo. He tried to assure himself that Kylo was doing better now. He wouldn’t like it, but he could go to a relief dom if he needed one. Poe wasn’t sure if his chest hurt because the air was losing oxygen, or because the thought of abandoning Kylo was more painful than he’d ever thought was possible. 

Kylo would probably be fine without Poe. But Poe hated that dying meant that he’d never be able to see the other man again. He’d known he was growing closer to the sub, had realized how much he missed him every time a mission called him away for too long. They never talked about their arrangement, but Poe had sensed the way it had changed from a set of casual encounters to something close to an actual relationship.

Sometimes Kylo would stop by his room or office just to silently do his own work near him. Poe couldn’t remember the last meal he’d had on base without the other man. He’d taken his companionship for granted he realized. He’d let his own uncertainty stop him from pushing forward with their relationship. From claiming Kylo publicly. He hated realizing how much he and Kylo hadn’t done together. How little he’d done for Kylo.

All of the things he’d never said.

His vision had begun to blur when he saw a flash of something moving impossibly quick towards him. In-between his vision fading in and out, he could barely make out what looked to be an X-Wing expertly gliding through the field, recklessly cutting close to meteors as it went. The last thing Poe saw before passing out was a flash of orange.

* * *

BB-8 had assured him as soon as he woke up that BB-8 had been the one who’d done most of the work in rescuing him. BB-8 had found out how to disable the magnetic field. And BB-8 had told Kylo which X-Wing to steal and had overwritten the planetary defense codes to escape and go rescue Poe.

BB-8 was willing to admit that Kylo had been the one to realize something was wrong. He hadn’t been able to explain how he knew to BB-8, but BB-8 had known immediately it was because Poe had gone out with another droid. BB-8 was also willing to admit that Kylo was a surprisingly good pilot, for a human.

For his part, Kylo remained silent. His face hadn’t regained color since Poe had woken up in the medical bay. He didn’t react at all to BB-8’s dramatic retelling. Poe wanted to reach out and touch him, but he was standing too far away from the medical table he was still hooked up to. 

The doctor had not been impressed. M’bekeera had seen Poe on zir table too many times to have any sympathy. Ze did a final check of Poe’s vital’s before hissing at him to get off zir table and go home. Poe was happy to comply.

His knees wobbled when he stood up, but Kylo was there in a flash, wrapping an arm around his waist. Poe was as thankful for the support as he was to finally actually feel Kylo near him. He felt like he should be apologizing, but he wasn’t sure for what. 

They’d barely made it out of the medical corridor before Kylo dropped the pretense of supporting Poe and just picked him up. Poe wanted to put up a fuss, but Kylo’s grip around him was tight, and he found he didn’t actually mind being carried by his sub. 

More than a few people stared as Kylo stormed by, but Poe just gave a weak smile in response. 

His room felt different when they entered it. It was hard to imagine he’d only left it the day before. Nothing had actually changed. He figured he was just surprised that he was actually being given the chance to see it again. 

He was confused when Kylo stopped at the entrance of the door and frowned at the ground. He managed to turn and see that BB-8 had zipped through the door and was waiting expectantly in front of them. 

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. BB-8 always stays near me for a few days after any near-death experiences,” Poe said. He knew it was probably concerning that he had enough of them that they’d established a routine.

_“Stay here. Protect,”_ BB-8 beeped in agreement. 

Kylo didn’t say anything, but after a moment he nodded. He moved to Poe’s bed and placed him down before turning back towards the door.

BB-8 beeped in alarm and rolled into Kylo’s legs. _“Stay here. Protect,”_ he repeated with firm beeps. 

Poe gave a weak grin and patted the space beside him. “You heard the droid.”

He thought Kylo was going to refuse, but the other man turned back around and kicked off his shoes. He moved to the end of the bed and removed Poe’s shoes as well before slowly inching onto the bed. He didn’t look at Poe when he laid his head down on the pillow next to his. 

They laid in silence for minutes, Poe began to dip in and out of consciousness. 

“I felt you dying,” Kylo said. His voice was so quiet Poe doubted for a moment that he’d said anything at all. When he did process it, he had no idea what to say. Instead he reached out and pulled Kylo against him. 

Kylo was still tense, but his limbs moved easily when Poe tugged on them, wrapping them around himself. It took some shuffling, but Poe eventually got them positioned. He was pressed between the wall and Kylo, the other man against his back. Kylo was too hot, and still too stiff. Poe knew they should talk, but he was exhausted. He was trying to think of something to say, someway to assure him that it was all going to be okay now, when he fell asleep.

* * *

They didn’t end up speaking about it, not directly at least. The next day Kylo had responded ‘fine’ to Poe’s attempts at seeing how he was doing. Poe hadn’t had the nerve to push, still caught up in his recent revelation. He loved Kylo, more than he’d ever loved a partner before. But he wasn’t sure what he supposed to do with that knowledge.

Traditionally there’d be talk of collaring, Poe would begin marking Kylo in visible areas. Kylo might even begin kneeling next to him in public. But there was nothing traditional about their relationship. Poe had no idea if Kylo saw a collar the way the resistance members did. Or if he saw it as a dehumanizing mark of ownership, as it was in the First Order.

Throughout their relationship Kylo had made his needs clear through facial expressions or thinly veiled comments. He’d never mentioned the status of their relationship though. He never made any sign that he wanted more from their relationship than attention, scenes, sex, and affection.

Everything was further complicated when Kylo spending the night had become Kylo moving in. 

It wasn’t a choice either of them had made. It happened right after the Incident. BB-8 had pulled some strings with a housing droid he knew, and by the time Poe and Kylo had woken up all of Kylo’s belongings had been moved over. Kylo had said nothing as he chose a new tunic to put on from what was now his side of Poe’s closet. 

It was another thing Poe was trying to figure out how to bring up.

He’d been certain that going from never spending the night together to living with each other would be a bigger adjustment than it was. At the very least, he’d been concerned that Kylo might need his own space, but the other man had immediately adjusted to his new living assignment. The only time Poe had mentioned his concern was when Kylo began meditating after Poe laid down to sleep.

“It is easier to meditate with you in the room. I have to be less on guard,” Kylo had said easily, shutting down the conversation. Poe had never felt prouder, or more miserable about not knowing how to actually address what was going on between them.

* * *

Poe was chasing down a lead with Rey on a trading post when he saw the shards. He wasn’t force-sensitive, but even he could feel the energy radiating off of the crystals. He subtly pointed them out to Rey. 

She looked at them curiously. “They’re Kyber. As far as I can tell they haven’t ever been used for something, which is rare. They’re too small to make a weapon out of though,” she said.

An eavesdropping merchant was quick to interject. “They would make lovely jewelry for young Jedi though. Many force-sensitives of old wore them. Create a pretty protective bracelet for yourself. It will help you heal faster, be stronger,” the merchant promised, it’s tail wagging. 

“No thank you,” Rey said politely and turned to move to another stall.

Poe couldn’t take his eyes off of them. “What do they feel like to you,” Poe asked.

Rey turned back and looked at them with a furrowed brow. “Pleasant. Soothing. I’m drawn to them, but I don’t need them. I don’t wear jewelry, and I already have a lightsaber. Why?”

“Do you think Kylo would be drawn to them?” Poe asked. He tried to sound casual, but Rey’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Are you thinking of making him a collar?” Rey asked. She was as eager as she was blunt. “That’s fantastic! I know Chewie’s been wanting to have words with you about your intentions with Ben.”

The thought of having words with Chewie made him swallow. He looked back down at the crystals. “I was thinking about it,” he admitted. “I’m not sure if he wants one, but if he did, do you think these would be a good choice?”

“He’d love them,” Rey said with absolute confidence. Before she could continue the merchant reappeared with a large box of metals and leathers, already prattling on about the properties of each and how they might suite Poe’s ‘lovely submissive.’

* * *

Poe had hidden his rather expensive purchase in the trunk where he kept all of his parent’s items. Now that he was committed he’d began watching Kylo for signs of a right time.

What he noticed was that while Kylo was affectionate in private, he never was the one to initiate contact in public. At first he’d thought it was a personal preference. Then he saw the way Kylo scanned the room whenever Poe touched him in common areas. He seemed fine with leaning into Poe if it was only Finn or Rey around though. 

Poe wasn’t naive. He knew there were plenty of people who weren’t happy about his increased closeness with Kylo. When it was just Poe dominating Kylo no one had complained. Some clearly liked the idea of Poe putting the man in his place. 

When it became apparent that their relationship was moving beyond scenes people began to give Poe side-eyes and pointed frowns. Some looked like they wanted to do more than glare. Whether it was Poe’s standing or fear of Kylo stopping them, Poe didn’t know. 

Poe was too caught up in trying to figure out how Kylo felt about their relationship to care too much about the opinions of others. But Kylo seemed very aware. 

When Admiral Viasi stopped by the base to visit it became clear that he was one of the ones who was more than disapproving. If Poe remembered right, his daughter had been at Luke’s academy. He was also a dear friend of Leia’s. Poe understood where he was coming from, but he still wasn’t happy to find him waiting for him outside of his office.

His voice was sickly sweet when he reached to lay a hand on Poe’s arm. “Captain, I’ve heard about the favor you’re doing the General.” It took Poe a moment to realize that he walking about Kylo. “Truly you’re doing the entire Resistance a service, but I don’t want this little chore to get in the way of you having a real relationship,” he said with faux concern. Poe grit his teeth.

“Thank you for your concern Admiral, however-” He was cut off as the admiral continued, his voice pitched louder.

“You know I have several lovely submissives on my ship who’ve asked for an introduction. Proper submissives, nothing like the beast you’re currently stuck with. You should come meet them, you deserve so much more.”

Poe opened his mouth to politely tell the admiral where to put his well meaning advice, but was cut off by the sound of loud sound of something being destroyed. The air had the electric feel of the force recently being unleashed. Viasi snorted, “speaking of.”

Poe cursed as he turned towards the noise. He barely resisted the urge to wipe the smug smile off of the admiral’s face as he turned to leave. 

Kylo had disappeared before Poe could find him in the hangar. Poe pulled up the base map and found that he’d gone back to their shared room. By the time Poe arrived Kylo was sitting on the couch, expression blank. He’d been working on his self-control and emotions. However, he only wiped the expression from his face when he was furious or sad, so it wasn’t as effective of a mask as he thought. 

“Are you going to punish me for destroying the platform,” Kylo asked before Poe could say anything. 

“No, I was ready to break something too,” Poe said, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. “You know he was just trying to get a rise out of us. Nothing he said was true.”

“Most of what he said was true,” Kylo corrected him, an edge to his voice. “There’s likely half a dozen submissives on his ship who would kill to be introduced to you. They’re all probably better submissives than I am. And you only took me on so I’d stop destroying things. I didn’t hear any lies.”

“Kylo,” Poe said, reaching out to touch him. Kylo crossed his arms and glared. Poe let his hand drop and tried again. “It doesn’t matter how all of this started. Yes, I thought it was a solution to a problem. But I knew after our first time together that this wasn’t going to be a one-off, or a casual arrangement. And you can’t pretend that we haven’t evolved well beyond doing occasional scene” 

Kylo didn’t look convinced. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter how it began. That’s the past, it's the future that’s the problem. And he was right, I’m a distraction. You’re the type of dom who wants to settle down some day and find a nice submissive you can collar and claim. And you can’t do while I’m living in your room and demanding all of your freetime.” Before Poe could disagree Kylo stood up. “I have enough control of myself now that I don’t need you. We can stop whatever this is, and you can take Viasi up on his offer to make introductions.”

“You’re wrong,” Poe said. He reached out and cupped Kylo’s face. As he did he was hit with an overwhelming wave of grief, mixed with bitterness and anger. It felt like his heart was breaking. Poe stepped back and realized it wasn’t his emotions he was feeling. Kylo seemed to realize it as well. He pushed away from Poe and quickly turned and began walking towards the door.

“Kylo, stop” Poe pleaded. Kylo stopped, but didn’t turn back towards him, hiding his face and expression from Poe. “I’m sorry Kylo. I’m sorry that I made you feel like none of this was real. I’m sorry that I never asked you what you wanted from this. And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I loved you as soon as I realized I did.”

Kylo turned and glared at him. “Don’t say that you love me, just because you feel bad. I don’t need your pity Poe Dameron,” he hissed. 

Poe realized that Kylo was actually mad. Of course he didn’t think it was possible that Poe really loved him. Poe felt like the worse kind of dom. “Please just stay here for a minute,” he said. “I have something to show you before you go.” Kylo was silent, but stayed where he was.

Poe quickly walked over to the closet and retrieved the black metal box. He forced himself to push his own nervousness aside. It didn’t matter whether or not he got rejected now, all that mattered was that Kylo knew that Poe was being honest when he said that he loved him. 

“I got this awhile back, but I wasn’t sure what you’d think of it. I know I should have just asked. I wasn’t brave enough though. I didn’t want to ruin everything. But it looks like I’ve done that regardless. I really should have offered this to you as soon as I bought it,” Poe said as he knelt and opened the box. Poe had always thought that the symbolic kneeling of the dom when offering a collar was too showy, but it seemed right to kneel before Kylo now to show him that he’d do anything for him. Even if it was too little too late. 

Kylo’s expression, for once, was actually unreadable. He looked down at the collar with unblinking dark eyes. He took the collar from the box and inspected it. “It has kyber crystals in it,” Kylo said as ran his fingers of them.

“Yes, Rey said you’d like them. If you don’t though, I could get you another collar. Or a different sign of commitment. Or we could skip it entirely if that’s what you’d prefer,” Poe said. “I love you Kylo. Just tell me how you’d like me to show that, and I’ll do it.”

“The admiral was right. You could do better,” Kylo said. But he wasn’t putting the collar back down. He ran his fingers over the collar possessively, catching every small crevice that held the shattered crystal. 

“I really couldn’t,” Poe said. He cleared his throat. “Kylo Ren, will you accept my collar,” he asked, finally making the offer. 

Kylo stared down at him again. Kneeling, Poe was aware of just how tall the other man was. A former Knight of Ren. A warrior. A once-Jedi who had been lead to commit some of the worst crimes in the galaxy. The son of Han Solo and General Organa. A trained technician who had weaponized Poe’s droid to win his favor. One of the galaxy's best pilots who had sensed Poe was in danger and had come to rescue him. 

The man Poe was desperately in love with. Poet met his gaze and tried to convey everything he was feeling He wasn’t force sensitive. He couldn’t make Kylo believe that he loved him, but he was willing to spend the rest of his life proving it, if Kylo allowed him to.

Kylo kept his gaze as he lowered himself to kneel beside Poe, only breaking it when he bowed his head to reveal the back of his neck. The traditional sign of acceptance. Poe reached out and grabbed Kylo’s hands, which still held the collar, guiding them to his neck. Together they placed the collar around it, until Poe was able to lock it into place with a click. 

The lock was a simple piece of tech. It would only open for those who it was coded to. Poe first placed his thumb to the lock, and the Kylo’s, letting it read each of them. Once it was set he cupped Kylo’s face, pulling it up so he could lock eyes with him again.

This time he was hit with the feeling of overwhelming love. Instead of pulling away, he leaned in, and placed a kiss on Kylo’s lips. And then another on his neck. “I love you Kylo,” he repeated. 

Kylo gave a pleased sigh as he scraped his teeth along the edge of his collar. Kylo tilted his neck back to give him more access. “Please,” he asked. While a collar was a formal way of laying claim, visible markings were seen as public signs of affection. Some submissives never had them, keeping their relationship private. Others wore them with pride. Markings were temporary, they took upkeep and dedication. A marked submissive was an actively loved submissive. 

Poe spread his lips to take in as much skin between his teeth as possible. He bit hard enough to make Kylo moan, hands coming up to hold onto Poe’s shoulders. He continued to suck on the skin until he was certain every blood vessel on the surface had broken. And then he moved to the next section of unclaimed skin on Kylo’s neck. He made a silent promise to make sure that Kylo’s neck was never unmarked again. Everyone would know how much he was wanted, Poe would make sure of that.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Warnings**  
>  This is a BDSM AU and has all of the consent issues that are inherent with this type of AU such as: uneven power dynamics, under-negotiated kinks, physical punishment, ect. 
> 
> Specifically there is: bondage, slapping, biting, caning, bruising, crying, insults, and probably more.
> 
> **This is trashy, trashy, escapism and should be read as such.**
> 
> Additionally there is reference to non-consensual acts in Kylo's past. They cause Kylo to have triggers that he and Poe explore in a way that might be triggering to some.


End file.
